Leason helps Bears get save point in 4-3 OT loss to Phantoms | Pro Hockey News

Brett Leason scored a crucial goal in the final minute of regulation to tie the game and force overtime for the game Hershey Bears (18-14-5-2), extending the club’s overtime and points streak, but Hershey ultimately fell to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (20-16-2-2) by a 4-3 final in sudden death on Saturday night at PPL Center.

By securing the overtime point, the Bears pushed their season-high point streak to 10 games (4-0-4-2), the longest since a franchise-record 17-point streak in 2018-19, making Hershey one of five teams in the American Hockey League this season to achieve a point streak of 10 games or more (Grand Rapids, 19 and 12; San Jose, 11; Bakersfield 10; Tucson, 10). The game also marked the seventh straight game Hershey has played outside regulation (1-0-5-1), adding to what has already become a franchise brand.

Hershey’s record in the season series with Lehigh Valley is now 4-2-1-0. The two clubs will meet three more times during the 2025-2026 season.

BOX SCORE

NOTES:

• Ilya Protas scored the opening goal – and his team-leading 17th of the season – for the second consecutive match, denting the battle of Bogdan Trineyev and Ivan Miroshnichenko at 8:10 of the first. Protas would later add an assist on Brett Leason’s equalizer for his team-leading ninth multi-point game of the season. Protas extended his current points streak to seven games (4g, 4a).
• David Gucciardi extended the visitors’ lead to 2-0 with his third of the season at 10:52 from Brett Leason and Henrik Rybinski. The goal came during a 4-on-4 game after Lehigh Valley’s Artem Guryev and Hershey’s Dalton Smith were assessed interference and penalty kicks at the 9:47 mark, respectively.
• The Phantoms responded by taking a 3-2 lead in the second period with a trio of goals in a span of 3:20, as Zayde Wisdom, Karsen Dorwart and Tucker Robertson scored on three straight shots from the hosts during that stretch, the fastest three-goal streak allowed by the Bears this season.
• With Garin Bjorklund brought in for an extra attacker, Leason tied the game at 3-3 at 19:42 of the third period with his ninth of the season from Protas and Miroshnichenko.
• Robertson scored his second goal of the night at 1:47 of the extra frame to win the game for the Phantoms.
• Both Alex Suzdalev and Gucciardi left the match with upper body injuries and were ruled out for the remainder of the match.
• Hershey did not have a power play during the game for the third time this season.

SHOTS: HER 28, LV 22

OBJECTIVE: ARMY – Garin Bjorklund, 18-for-22; L-F – Carson Bjarnason, 25-for-28

POWER PLAY: HER – 0-for-0; LF – 0-for-1

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